Dwellings of Eldervale — How to Play

Game Objective

In Dwellings of Eldervale, each player controls a faction of mythical beings that return to the destroyed realm of Eldervale. The goal is to build Dwellings to claim Realms, accumulate Elemental Power, collect Adventure Cards, complete Prophecies, and earn victory points (VP). The game ends when any player builds their sixth Dwelling or the last Realm tile is removed from the stack. After that, each player takes one more round and the final score determines the winner.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Build Eldervale:
   • Shuffle all Realm tiles (including the 6 Ruins) and place them in a stack.
   • Remove from the stack the number of tiles indicated by the number of players (5, 7, or 8 tiles). If there is more than one Lair tile, place the extras at the bottom of the stack.
   • Shuffle the revealed tiles with the 5 Ruins (or 6 Ruins for 4/5 players) and arrange them in the layout shown in the manual.
   • Place the corresponding Treasure Tokens on each Realm tile and, if there is a Lair, place the miniature of the corresponding Monster.
2. Magic Cards:
   • Shuffle the Magic Cards deck and keep it within reach of the players.
   • Each player draws five Magic Cards.
3. Orbs:
   • Place an Orb on top of each used Elemental Track.
   • Place an Orb in each of the two Orb spaces on the Glory Track.
4. Player Setup:
   • Place three Workers in the Ready Area (these are the only Active Units at the start).
   • Place the Dragon, Wizard, Warrior, and three Workers in the spaces indicated on your Player Mat (these are not active yet).
   • Stack the six Dwelling Rooftops in pairs in the indicated space.
   • Place 1 Gem, 1 Potion, 1 Scroll, 1 Tool, and 1 Sword in the supply area of your mat.
   • Place the six dice next to your mat.
5. Scoring Markers:
   • Place a Scoring Marker in the Ready Area (this will be your Glory Track marker after the first Regroup).
   • Place a marker on the first space of the Elemental Power Track that corresponds to your faction's element.
   • Place the remaining three markers next to the Elemental Power Tracks (they will be used when you gain power in other elements).

Game Flow

1. Player Turn:
   • The active player chooses between Place a Unit or Regroup.
   • They may perform any number of Free Actions at any point during the turn.
2. Place a Unit:
   • Select a Unit from the Ready Area and place it on a Realm following the Placement rules (first placement or adjacent placement).
   • Immediately perform the Action